Platoon leader remembers Jake Wallin

(REGION) -- As the region continues to mourn the loss of Fargo Police Officer Jake Wallin, who was tragically killed in an unprovoked attack on law enforcement last Friday in Fargo, members of his military family are grieving as well.

Wallin, a St. Michael, Minn., native, served in the Minnesota National Guard and was deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq. His platoon Captain, Will Hermanson, says he was a unique individual.

"Jake was that individual that you could always trust," Hermanson said. "Any time that you asked him to step up or do anything, it was no hesitation. It was more of a willing to do it than anything."

He says Wallin had a passion and desire to help people -- calling him "the star of the room."

At just 23-years-old at the time of his death, and a member of the Minnesota National Guard, Wallin has been highly regarded for the things he did while serving overseas in his two deployments prior to coming to Fargo, where he had been on the police force for less than three months when he was killed by gunfire last Friday afternoon.

"What he brought to my platoon, while overseas and to my battery and Alexandria, was nothing short of a remarkable feat for such a young man," Hermanson told Flag Family Media News. "And what he could accomplish in his time is something that should be a story in itself."

Hermanson said Wallin was always wanting to be involved -- never wanting to take a back seat.

"He would never be the one that sat down and do nothing," he said. "Even when he wasn't working, he was at his buddy's side; He was there helping them out if we needed something else done. And we didn't even have to ask him. He just wanted to be a part of the team, and wanted to serve no matter if it was an inconvenience to him, if it was taken away from his personal time or whatever it was. He just, no matter what the cost, no matter how tired he was, no matter what he had to do, he always wanted to help out the team, his friends and his family."

Wallin will be remembered for all he has done for the community, state, region and country, Hermanson said.

"The legacy that he's gonna leave behind is that -- is service and being the steward of, of a community, state, region," he said. "It's my genuine hope and belief that his viewpoints, his beliefs -- everything he stood for -- will carry on to everyone his age and everyone even oldern -- that service isn't just a small thing that it is, it is a passion. It is something that you're called to do. Jake was the example of what our future should be."

A celebration of life and funeral service have been set for Wallin.